


A taste of heaven in the underworld

by a_Kabby_k



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Post-5x02, Reconciliation Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 23:09:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17272898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_Kabby_k/pseuds/a_Kabby_k
Summary: Marcus closed his eyes, fighting against the urge to cry which was engulfing him. “I don't love you because I think you're perfect Abby. I love you because you're human,” he told her sincerely. “There are parts of light and darkness in each of us and I love every part of you,” he kept going, pausing a second to press a tender kiss against her hair.





	A taste of heaven in the underworld

The Rotunda was almost deserted by now. Only some grounders were left, cleaning the floor, trying to wipe off the last traces of blood. The smell of hot iron was still lingering in the air and the sound of metal cutting into flesh was still echoing inside his head. 

“Lex Talionis,” Marcus murmured thoughtfully as he stared at the place where Octavia had stood about an hour ago. That wasn't the kind of justice he had thought about when he had brought the subject up during the last council meeting. He wished they could have established a fair justice system where the punishments fit the crimes and not that archaic and violent system. _Unfair_ system. _Gladiatorial combats._ It sounded almost puerile, like a game organized for children but the blades weren't made of wood and the blood was definitely real. 

The Blakes were known to enjoy reading ancient Greece and Roman mythology, but Marcus would have never imagined that Octavia could go that far. Was this her idea of justice? Forcing her people to kill their own friends to save their own lives? Not so long ago, she was still blaming the council for what had happened to her mother and yet, she was doing _this_ now? He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if a father and son were caught stealing together. Would she force them to fight to the death? Would she be that cruel? 

He had asked her to be the leader she was supposed to be during those past few weeks but now that she did, the result left him with a bitter taste in  his mouth. She was still a hot-headed child, thirsty for blood and revenge. 

There was at least one thing that he couldn't deny her : she had found a way to solve three problems at  once : punishing the criminals, reducing population and diverting the plebs. But at what cost? Accepting this felt like selling your soul to the devil. They weren't just trapped underground anymore ; they were trapped in the underworld. 

“That's not justice,” a soft voice suddenly said behind him, pulling him out of his musings. 

Marcus tossed his head and snorted bitterly. “Whatever it is, that's our justice now,” he stated bleakly as he turned around to face Abby.

Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was staring with obvious concern at the bloody floor. She looked a little better than several hours ago in the farm room but fatigue and grief were written all over her face.

“The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the Senate, it's the sand of the Colosseum. He'll bring them death... And they will love him for it,” Marcus reeled off under his breath as he thoughtfully let his eyes roam back over the bloody floor below. 

“Where does it come from?” Abby asked, cocking her head to the side with a frown. 

Marcus inhaled tiredly and shrugged. “An old movie I used to watch on the Ark,” he answered, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from the marks of the slaughter Octavia dared to call justice.

Abby nodded briefly and looked down. She remained quiet for a moment and he noticed the way her hands were rubbing nervously against the fabric of her pants.

“Do you need something?” he inquired as he took a step forward, his eyes searching hers. 

Abby didn't answer him right  away and it worried him a little. “Abby?” he insisted softly, his hand landing tentatively on her elbow. 

The contact made her flinch but she didn't push him away, which was a good start. They hadn't spoken privately since that moment in the farm room and, even if she had stood by his side during the fight, he still wasn't sure if she was ready to let him in again.

It took her a moment before she finally looked up at him. “Could we have a moment? Alone? ” s he requested and nothing in her expression gave him the tiniest clue  as to what she wanted to  talk about. 

“Sure,” he accepted willingly anyway, because, at least, she agreed to talk to him now. 

Marcus turned around, ready to walk towards the living quarters but she stopped him by catching his wrist. “Medical would be more private,” she told him and she surprised him by sliding her hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

The gesture  automatically brought a pleasant warmth inside his chest and he froze  for a second, stunned. She must have felt his surprise because she looked up at him and offered him a shy smile, tugging gently at his hand, inviting him to follow her. 

They walked hand in hand all the way  to medical and Marcus didn't miss the  small smile Niylah offered him as they walked past her. Even if he knew that they weren't out of the woods, that it would still take time to come back to what they shared, Marcus couldn't help but feel more hopeful than he had been since Praimfaya. Abby had come to him, asked him for a moment alone and that was already more than he would have dared to hope when he had woken up this morning. 

When they finally reached medical, they found Jackson cleaning up the mess the rebellion had caused. The latter's hand lingered over a  broken jar as he watched them  enter the room. 

“We'll finish this tomorrow, Jackson,” Abby told him in a gentle tone. “After what happened, we could all use a break,” she added with a sad smile. 

The young doctor stood up and Marcus saw his eyes fall on their linked hands. “I agree,” he said, nodding. “I took care of Kara's wounds. Octavia sent her back to her quarters. You shouldn't be disturbed tonight,” he explained, throwing brief looks at Marcus from the corner of his eyes.

“Thank you,” Abby said softly with an appreciative nod. 

Jackson stared at her pointedly for a moment and then started to make his way toward the exit. Marcus shifted a little to let him pass and, as the young doctor  walked by him , he noticed the tiny, contented smile the  latter offered him. He blinked slowly at him in a silent answer, knowing what he meant. 

Jackson was the only one who knew about Abby's request. Marcus had told him just after the ice bath, when he was pacing the space in front of medical, waiting for Abby to wake up. She had refused to let him be by her side during the procedure, which had obviously piqued Jackson's interest and he hadn't been able to lie to him. He had told him the truth and since then, he had felt like all of Jackson's previous concerns about him and Abby as a couple had disappeared. They trust each other now, reunited by the unlimited love they both share for that stubborn woman. 

Once Jackson  was gone, Abby let go of Marcus' hand to close the door. The latter took a step forward, assessing the damages. The examination table was broken and most of the cots had been knocked over. The floor was covered  in pills and pieces of broken glass. It was a total mess and the waste of medical supplies might be very important. 

Without thinking, Marcus bent forward, picking up several medical tools. He put them on a trolley and turned around to face Abby  when he heard her clear her throat. She was leaning against the door, her hands clasped neatly in front of her. 

“I'm still mad at you,” she stated frankly as their gazes met. 

Marcus flickered his eyes down briefly. “I know but--,” he said over a lump in his throat.

“Let me speak,” she said, lifting her hand in the air to prevent him from continuing. “I'm still mad at you and it will probably take me a little longer to...” she said, her voice trailing off. 

_To forgive you. To accept that I'm still alive,_ Marcus finished in his mind and he nodded. 

Abby paused thoughtfully for a moment and he didn't push her. He waited,  giving her the time to find the right words to express how she really felt. He had opened himself utterly to her in the farm room, admitting that he wasn't strong enough to lose her, that it was, in the end, the only reason why he hadn't let her burn on the other side of that damn door. Now, it was her turn to say what was really in her heart. He was ready to hear everything, the good as well as the bad. He could handle everything as long as she accepted to talk to him again. 

“But, I hear you,” she breathed out eventually, looking him straight in the eyes. 

Those three words echoed  on a loop in his mind, bringing a pleasant wave of hope into his heart. The way she was staring pointedly at him emphasized her words and he knew they were both thinking about the same thing, about the same moment.  _I_ _ did _ _hear you, you know,_ he had told her once and that was when their relationship had turned. 

For years, they had walked  in parallel , choosing different ways towards the same  destination but after that, they had never stopped walking side by side, never until... Until she decided she didn't deserve to survive. 

Marcus suddenly felt like they were back  at crossroads and his heart twisted painfully inside his chest. After everything they've been through, would  they ever be able to find their way back to each other  again ? He wished they would, but he also felt like that possibility was only in Abby's hands now. He didn't know what he could do, what he could say further to help her, to  _reach_ her. 

Abby remained quiet for a moment and he hesitated to come closer to her. His body leaned forward helplessly but she started talking again, making him stop his  movements . 

“When I woke up and realized what you did, I felt betrayed,” she resumed in a neutral tone. “You didn't respect my choice, you didn't respect _me_ ,” she kept going, emphasizing her last word by pressing her hand against her chest. 

Marcus swallowed hard as he saw her eyes become shinier because of the tears she was obviously trying to contain. 

“For the last weeks, all I thought about when I looked at you was that you betrayed the trust I had in you. I hung on to my anger because it was easier than thinking about how _you_ were feeling, how _I_ made you feel,” she said, her voice breaking over the last words.

This time, Marcus couldn't help but take a step towards her and she met him halfway, pushing herself off the door to come standing right in front of him. He  stopped himself from pulling her against him and his breath got caught in his throat as he watched her  tentatively raise her hand towards his face. 

At first, she just let her fingers hover over his cheek,  as if she was afraid to touch him, but he was  craving her touch too much so his head tilted reflexively. The soft contact made his heart miss a beat and he took a deep breath to contain the flood of emotion which was washing over him. 

“Three hundred and sixty-four of our people died because I opened that door,” she spoke again, her voice unsteady. “The truth is that Kara was right. I didn't do it because it was the right thing to do. When I unlocked that door, I wasn't thinking about the thousands of grounders waiting outside. I wasn't thinking about Octavia and the rules of the conclave. All I thought about was you, only _you_ ,” she confessed, tears escaping her eyes to run along her cheeks. “I chose the man I love over three hundred and sixty-four of our people and I feel bad about it because I don't regret it. I would do it again a thousand times over. I would choose you all over again,” she said, the last word turning into a heart-breaking sob.

Marcus saw her face crumble with pain and her body started to falter. This time, he didn't hesitate, he didn't wonder if he was allowed to touch her or not, he just went for it, closing his arms around her, pulling her against him in a tight embrace.

She melted into him instantly, burying her face into his neck. “I'm not mad at you because you saved me. I'm mad at you for thinking I deserved to be saved,” she whispered and the words, murmured desperately against his skin, made his heart sink.

Marcus closed his eyes, fighting against the urge to cry which was engulfing him. “I don't love you because I think you're perfect Abby. I love you because you're human,” he told her sincerely. “There are parts of light and darkness in each of us and I love every part of you,” he kept going, pausing a second to press a tender kiss against her hair. “If surviving was about deserving , then nobody would have made it to that  b unker. I certainly wouldn’t have.” he added in a lower voice, one of his  hands drawing comforting circles  on the small of her back. 

He felt her exhale deeply against his shoulder, her sobs starting to ease but he didn't let her go. He kept her there, held her tight against him where he could protect her from the outside world, from her inner demons. 

They remained quiet for a moment, just enjoying the feeling  of having the other back in their arms. Despite the anger, despite the pain, they had never stopped  loving each other and right now, it was all that  mattered . 

Ever s ince the door had been sealed 46 days ago, Marcus had lacked a lot of things: food, sleep, fresh air but none of this had felt as painful  as the lack of her. The hunger which was torturing his stomach was barely a discomfort compared to the  absence of her. He had missed her voice, her touches, her gaze, her scent, every second of every day. 

So did she...

Even at her worst, Abby had never stopped missing him. Her anger hadn't been enough to erase the love she felt for him, not even in the slightest way. She couldn't talk to him, or even look at him without feeling a wave of rage and a sense of betray washing over , but every time he was out of sight for more than an hour, she felt a disagreeable pinch in her belly reminding her that she still deeply cared for him. She couldn't prevent her heart  from leaping in her chest when she thought he might be in danger, like several days  earlier , when she had believed for a second that the grounders he was arguing with had been about to stab him. She hadn't hesitated,  not even for a second, jumping right in front of him, her chin high, snapping to the grounder to back off. She cared for him, she loved him and nothing could ever change that. 

Pushing him  away constantly had been one of the most difficult things she had had to do since they had  been locked inside the  b unker. Sometimes, the  absence of him had  been even more painful than the  constant throbbing under her skull. She had missed everything about him, from the way he used to always stand next to her, close enough for her to feel his support but far enough to not look like he was pressuring her, to his annoying habits to remind her to eat or to sleep. 

Slowly, Abby pulled away from him, just enough to be able to look at his face again. She cupped his cheek and let her thumb stroke his beard softly. “I love you,” she whispered as she reached up  on her  tiptoes , her eyes flickering to his lips. 

She saw Marcus' lips  part slightly and she felt his fingers clench around the fabric of her shirt at the small of her back. She could sense that he was craving for this as much as she  was . He stood still but she could hear his breathing  getting caught in his throat. 

Carefully, almost shyly, she started by dropping a light kiss at the corner of his mouth and stayed there for a moment.  _Gosh_ , how had she been able to live for  so long without feeling his mouth against hers? Their last kiss dated back to the moment he had shown up on the Rotunda, just after she and Bellamy had opened the door , and it had  been filled with desperate  relieve . She was close to give that kind of impulse to this one too but she held herself back. They were still walking on  eggshells and she didn't want to ruin what they were just starting to  rebuild by rushing whatever was about to happen. 

She felt Marcus  exhale softly against her lips. “I love you,” he told  her in a murmur and then, he punctuated his declaration with another gentle kiss on her mouth. 

Abby parted her lips and leaned into  him . Her grip on his face increased as she started to deepen the kiss, her other arm closing around his neck to pull him tighter against her. She trapped his lower  lip between hers and teased it with a soft brush of her tongue. 

Marcus hummed appreciatively, encouraging her to intensify the pressure of her mouth on his as one of his hands left the small of her back to cradle the back of her head. In response, he sucked gently at her bottom  lip , tilting his head for a better angle. 

The kiss became messier and messier and soon, the nagging rumbling of the ventilation system was surpassed by wet suckling sounds and erratic breathings. They were devouring each other's mouths as if they hadn't been able to do it for years and in a way, those past weeks had felt like it. 

They didn't break apart for a very long time, not even  to breathe . They used  the small amounts of time when they opened their  mouths to assault each other's lips once again to  inhale a blast of oxygen. They were clinging  to each other, enjoying the taste of each other, absorbing the love, the feel, the want of the other one, memorizing it in the deepest part of their souls. 

Each  time Marcus' tongue brushed against hers, Abby felt like a flash of electricity was coursing through her veins, bringing her whole body back to life. For weeks, she had felt numb, hollow, deprived of any kind of vitality. She was just a walking dead, wandering around aimlessly in those dark corridors. But now... Now, the bitter taste in her mouth had been fully replaced by that blissful taste of him. The taste of home, of hope, of safety. 

“I want you,” the words escaped her lips thoughtlessly and she might have laughed at herself for sounding this desperate but she was too overwhelmed to care right now. 

Stunned, Marcus pulled away more abruptly than he meant to.  _Did he really hear what he thought he had?_ He blinked stupidly several times, staring at her, still doubting  if he heard her right . 

Abby felt her cheeks  heating up but she forced herself to keep a steady gaze. She hadn't meant to say it out loud but that was exactly what she was feeling, what she wanted, what she needed and she had no reason to feel ashamed about it. “I want you,” she said again, her tone assertive. 

Those words coming out  of her mouth made Marcus' stomach  twist with a powerful flood of yearning. His whole body jerked forwards helplessly as he captured her lips once more in a heated kiss, making them stumble a little. His hands fell on her hips, pushing her  backwards until her back hit the flat surface of the door. 

Abby yelped at the contact and the sound quickly turned into moans as Marcus freed her mouth to take care of her throat. He nipped at it, sucked at  the naked areas he could reach between her jawline and the edge of her shirt. Her skin was soft and warm underneath his mouth. Her familiar scent was still as intoxicating as it had been the first time he had been allowed to kiss her there. His tongue ventured between his lips, applying a soft pressure against her pulse point. As expected, he felt her throat rumble as the sweet sound of a moan  reached his ear. He hadn't forgotten anything about what she liked and how she liked it. How could  he have ? There hadn't been a night where he hadn't  sought comfort into those memories of them in Polis. Those perfect moments had been  playing on a loop in his mind as soon as she had left for Arkadia and they had never stopped. 

Abby's hands were in his hair, keeping him in place. Her eyes were already fluttering with pleasure at the feeling of his beard scratching against her skin and of his nails digging into the flesh of her hips. In addition to his love and desire, she could also sense his desperation  in his touches. She could guess how hurt he was to be deprived of this, of _them_ . She had pushed him away and she started to realize that it was the worst thing she could have ever done to him. She needed him and he needed her too. They went through the same things and she had failed him, leaving him alone with his own demons, punishing him because he loved her too much to bear to lose her.

The thought brought tears to her eyes and her throat tightened. “I'm sorry,” she  choked suddenly, unable to hold  herself back . 

She felt Marcus  freeze against her throat but he didn't pull back. “Don't be,” he whispered quietly before dropping a gentle kiss on her skin. “You needed time, I get that,” he added, nuzzling lightly against the line of her carotid. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked her tentatively as his mouth arrived just under her ear. 

“No,” she breathed out in a rush. “No,” she said again, firmer this time, as she tugged at his hair, inviting him to look at her. 

When their eyes met, Marcus smiled  fondly at her and he brushed the back of his hand gently against her cheekbone. How could she still be mad at him when he was looking  at her like that? In all her life, nobody had ever looked at her the way he did. That sparkle in his eyes: it wasn't just love, it was something  more , so much  more . It was a mix of admiration, almost reverence, care, and desire. 

“No,” she mouthed one last time before leaning in to capture his lips. 

Marcus met her halfway and from the corner of her eyes, she saw him reach for the lock next to her head. “Not  here ,” she panted, breaking the kiss. 

Marcus pulled back a little and gave her a questioning look. Without a word, Abby let her hands slide down from his hair to his chest and she pushed against it to make him step backward. He let her lead him willingly, taking the opportunity to study her face. Her eyes were shining with something he hadn't seen since their last intimate moments in Polis, something he would have given up everything he had to have  the chance to see it again. 

Abby kept pushing against his chest until the back of his thighs hit the edge of a desk at the other side of the room. “Follow me,” she told him softly as she turned around to walk towards the storage room.

The lock had been picked so she just needed to pull on it a little to open the door.

As she walked over the threshold, she threw him a look over her shoulder and he  spotted a shy smile tugging at her lips. He pushed himself off the desk and wasted no time to follow her inside, closing the door behind him. As he turned around, his eyes immediately fell on a mattress  lying on the floor. So, this was where she was hiding  every night . He had saved her the bunk over his but she had never deigned to show up. 

“Lie down,” she told him in a gentle voice and he obliged her. 

Marcus squatted down and pushed away some medical tools which had been knocked down during the  uprising . Once done, he smoothed the cover and  sat up, facing her. 

“Lie down,” she repeated as she pulled off her shoes, leaning against the wall for support. 

The thought of teasing her for giving him  orders crossed his mind but he held himself back. He didn't feel like joking anyway. So, instead, he did as she asked, lying on his back but he rose up quickly, supporting himself on his elbows to watch her come closer. 

Abby took several slow steps forwards and knelt as she arrived next to Marcus' feet. Without a word, she reached for his boots and started to untie them. He watched her slim fingers struggle with the  tight laces for a moment, wondering if he should give her a hand, but when he noticed a slight shake of her hand he got worried and  sat up straight . 

“Abby,” he breathed out tentatively, one of his hands landing upon hers. 

“Let me,” she instantly rebuffed him, more dryly than she meant to, according to the apologizing look she offered him right away. “I'm okay,” she added in a softer tone before leaning in to give him a reassuring peck on the lips. 

Even if he was far from convinced, Marcus laid back silently. It wasn't the right time to confront her about her medical condition. He couldn't risk  antagonizing her, not when she just agreed to talk to him again. He  _will_ , just not today. 

Once she finally managed to get him out of his boots, Abby crawled up slowly and swung one of her legs up over his hips. Marcus' hands  landed reflectively on the top of her thighs as she settled on top of him, straddling him. 

Gently, Abby let her hands  roam all over his chest before leaning in to capture his lips. Her kiss was slow, tender and sensual. She was taking her time, drinking in the feel of him beneath her, enjoying the way his lips parted slightly to let her tongue find his. She was setting the pace, keeping it slow because, for the first time, there was no genocidal chancellor, no devilish A.I . and no death wave  coming their way . There was just them and five years of patience ahead. 

Yes, a new threat was rising, an inside threat, a threat which made death become a game but that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, they needed to fix themselves first. They needed to rebuild that thing which made them able to overcome  anything they had to face: _them_ . 

Short of breath, Abby pulled back and  straightened. Without a word, she grabbed the edge of her shirt and started to pull it off. Marcus felt his throat become dry and his grip on her thighs tightened reflexively. The view of her bare stomach forced him to swallow back a quiet groan. Even the tiniest bit of her skin was enough to tickle his self-control. His hands ventured north, his fingers  skimming the curve of her hips and then brushing along the hollow of her tiny waist. 

The touch made Abby shudder and he saw a trail of goosebumps appear on her naked skin. Her tank top finally came into view and, this time, he couldn't hold himself back anymore. He sat up, his arms closing around her middle and he buried his face into her cleavage. He pressed his lips against her sternum and brushed the strands of her hair away that were in the way of his hungry mouth. 

Abby threw her shirt away and braced herself on his shoulders for stability. She felt her breath get caught in her throat as Marcus started to rub his beard along the contour of her breasts. She loved that beard. She loved how it felt against her skin, how it felt underneath her lips and mostly, how he looked so much like his true self with it. His hand on her back started to run up and down her spine, pulling her even tighter against him. His palms felt so warm and it wasn't just because it contrasted with the chilly air of the bunker. His touches were a delight, something that  could set her on fire in a  split second. 

As he was still taking care of her cleavage, Marcus felt Abby's thighs press firmer into his hips and her fingers clench at his hair. Heartened by her physical responses, he became bolder, allowing his tongue to wander under the hem of her crop top until he could feel the side of her nipple against the tip of it.

Abby's whole body jerked forward with a high-pitched gasp and he couldn't help but groan as he felt her  tug at his hair. 

It had felt so long since the last time she had him like this that even the lightest touch could bring a powerful rush of arousal to the lower part of her body. She could already feel it, that bittersweet pulsing sensation between her legs, that intoxicating natural reaction only he was able to prompt inside her. Her hips started to rock reflexively against him. At first, it was just a graze, a light teasing but soon her movements became more steady, more assured and she couldn't help but smile as she heard him hiss. 

She let her hands  leave his hair to grab the bottom of his shirt but he didn't pull back as she tried to lift it over his head. “Take off that damn shirt,” she ordered him and she felt him chuckle against her chest. 

He surrendered eventually and raised his arms, letting her pull  his shirt off and throwing  it on the floor without any care . Once  done , Abby grabbed his face in her hands and brought his lips to hers once more. This time, she kissed him hard, pushing her tongue carelessly inside his mouth, her teeth scratching, nipping at his lower lips. 

Marcus' hands went down. One grabbed her ass and squeezed, pulling her even harder against him, while the other  ventured up her side, his fingertips teasing the  underside of her left breast. Abby hummed into his mouth and she  immediately reached for his hand, urging him to take her breast fully into his palm. 

Marcus obliged her willingly and cupped it through the fabric of her crop top. It seemed to not be enough for Abby because she suddenly broke the kiss and pulled away, giving herself room to take  the item off. 

Marcus stopped moving a moment, drinking  in the sight of her,  naked from the waist  up . Abby started to lean down again but he prevented her to do so by gripping her shoulders, pinning her in place. His eyes roamed all over her breasts, from the delicate swelling to the rosy peak of her nipples. 

Abby swallowed hard and she felt her cheeks  catch fire under his gaze. The way he was looking at her right now was more than she could handle. The love, the want, the lust, everything she could  see into his eyes made her whole body combust with passion. Her heart started to race and her breath became shorter. 

“Marcus,” she breathed out helplessly because she needed him to move, to touch her, to do something before she burned into flames from desire. 

The sound of his name pulled him out of his trans and he leaned down, taking one of her nipples into his mouth. Abby threw her head backwards and exhaled, her nails digging into the flesh at the back of his neck. She felt his tongue swirl against her skin, sending pleasant flashes of electricity along her spine. The pressure of his mouth on her increased slowly and when he finally gave her nipple a hard suck she couldn't help but yelp. Her whole body jerked forward, making Marcus lose his balance. 

He fell flat onto his back, bringing her with him and Abby put her hands on  both sides of his head just in time  to catch herself . They stared silently at each other for a moment but  Marcus quickly grabbed the back of her head and pulled her down to capture her lips in a  bruising kiss. Abby responded to his kiss eagerly,  rising a little over him to let one of her  hands wander over his chest and then over his belly. She felt his abdomen tense under her palm as her fingertips reached the hem of his pants. 

With a swift movement of her fingers, Abby managed to unbutton his trousers. She shifted her weight a little, leaning mostly on  the hand still next to his head and  slid the other one  into his pants. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her lips pressed against his skin as she started to let her fingers run lightly along his already half-hard dick. 

Because of the lack of food and sleep, because of the grief which was filling both of their hearts, Abby knew it would take him a little longer to be ready and she intended to  willingly give him everything he needed. She started with soft caresses, from the soft skin of his balls to the smooth curve of the head of his cock, letting her palm glide over it. She could hear his breathing  become heavier next to her ear and she could feel his member swelling underneath her hand. She increased the pressure of her fingers, circling his shaft and moving her hand up and down, before twisting her fingers intentionally slowly around. 

One of Marcus' hand was stroking her hair tenderly while he enjoyed the care she was granting him but soon, being touched by her wasn't enough: he needed to touch her too. He stretched out his arm, cupping one of her breasts in his hand. He massaged it, making her hard nipple roll against the center of his palm.  The lips pressed against the skin of his neck were joined by teasing teeth. “Fuck,” he swore, his hips jerking forward, pushing his cock harder into Abby's grip. 

The still oxygenated part of his brain sent him a warning: he needed to provide her the same treatment or he would soon be unable to think straight and consequently, to take care of her the way she deserved to.

Marcus reached out to her zipper but she was too far, he couldn't touch her the way he wanted. He growled in frustration, trying to make her move higher by tugging at the hem of her pants. “Let me touch you too,” he pleaded, turning his head  to the side to whisper in her ear. “Please,” he added. 

Abby dropped a last kiss on his shoulder and got off him. She laid down on her side next to him, facing him. Marcus immediately mirrored her position and reached for the button of her pants. Without wasting any time, he helped her to undress completely, tugging at the fabric of her pants and panties at the same time to slide them down her legs as she lifted her hips. Abby did the same with him and they finally ended up both fully naked. 

They shifted closer until they were pressed tight against each other and Marcus grabbed the back of Abby' s thigh and settled it over his hips. Their mouths met again for another heated kiss while they both  managed to slide a hand between their bodies. 

Abby's fingers closed around his cock and his  found their way into her folds. Just like him several minutes ago, she wasn't fully ready. She was wet but not enough yet. To give her some comfort, Marcus brought two fingers into his mouth and  sucked at them, wetting them. He lowered his hand again and slowly, he let his fingers slide softly along her sex, from her clit to her entrance, drawing little circles around it. 

Abby's hips jerked reflexively forward, pressing her lips together to contain a moan.  _Gosh_ , she had missed this. Marcus hadn't forgotten anything about what she taught him in Polis when she was guiding his hand to show him how she liked to be stroked. He seemed to know her body as much as she did now. He had been a quick learner and she was a very very grateful teacher right now.

Abby' s breath got caught in her throat as Marcus suddenly cupped her sex utterly, his whole big hand stroking her entire intimacy while his middle  finger pushed into her. Her back arched and her fingers clenched reflexively around his dick, making his groans combine with her  strangled moans. 

“Sorry,” she breathed out, loosening her grip. “You surprised me,” she explained, chuckling lightly. 

The sound instantly brought a wave of warmth straight to Marcus's heart. He had missed her laugh, _so much_ , that hearing it again, even this  lightly , made him wonder if all of this wasn't just a dream. “In a good way, I hope,” he whispered, pulling his finger out and rubbing it up and down along her folds.

“Yes,” Abby moaned before capturing his lips in a bruising kiss. 

She started to stroke him again, slowly at first ; her thumbs pressed again the vein underneath his cock, feeling him swell under her palm. This time, he was fully ready to move  onto stage two and from the way his fingers were pumping in and out of her without restraint, she could feel she was too. 

Without breaking the kiss, Abby hooked his hips with the leg  that was already  draped over his thigh and used her other one for leverage. She pushed against him until he was lying on his back with her on top of him. 

Marcus ’ hands automatically grasped her hips as he started to straighten up but she pushed him back abruptly. “Let me,” she ordered him and he obliged. 

She didn't mean to be harsh but the anger which had lived inside her the past month couldn't be driven out in two shakes of a lamb's tail. She needed to take back the control he had ripped out of her that damn day. She needed to feel that she could still be in charge of her body, of her desire, of her whole being.

Marcus watched her  throw her head back to move her hair over her shoulder and he couldn't help but hiss  with deep pleasure as he felt the top of his cock meet the hot wetness between her thighs. She was guiding him inside her slowly,  _deliciously_ slowly. The blood was pulsing roughly inside his dick and the need to push into her was killing him from inside. Nevertheless, he held  himself back , his fingers tightening on the skin of her hips instead, probably hard enough to leave some marks. 

He knew her well enough now to feel that she needed to be in control this time. She needed to take back what she thought he had stolen from her by going against her will to die. If this was what it cost him to help her to forgive him, then he was ready to let her lead the way willingly. 

Abby leaned forward a little, laying a hand on one of his shoulders for leverage and keeping his cock straight with the other until he was deep enough inside her.

A dozen  curse words were tickling the tip of Marcus' tongue but he held them back, clenching his teeth instead.  _Damn_ , she felt so good. He was tempted to close his eyes, to let the pleasure engulf him but he didn't want to miss the stunning and sensual show she was offering him. 

Fighting against the dizziness which was invading his mind, Marcus stared at her, following each rise and fall of her pelvis,  studying the way her breasts  swung with the rhythm of her moves and taking in the way her lips parted, quivering more  and more as the  movement of her hips  sped up. 

She rode him harder and harder, faster and faster, leaning on her hands now clenched around his knees behind her. At that moment, just the sight of her like this, wild and alive, could have been enough to make him come but, as a jolt of powerful and primary pleasure started to radiate all over his body, Marcus suddenly felt like Abby wasn't there with him anymore. Her gaze was fuzzy, fixed on the ceiling and she didn't seem to react when he rubbed his palms up her sternum between her breasts.

“Abby,” he panted, short of breath. “Abby,” he said again, a little louder this time but she still didn't look at him. 

Abby was trying to focus on the feel of him inside her, on the powerful pleasure which shocked her each time she moved her hips but it felt like a lost cause. Dozen of horrible memories were assaulting her mind without reason, from the image of Jake's body being sucked up into space to the screams of the grounder  in the radiation machine  and the smell of blood invading the arena. She  pushed her hips harder down on him , trying to erase the pain in her heart with pleasure but the more she tried,  the more vivid the  images became. She  felt stuck in her own mind, unable to run away from the most terrible moments of her life.

Marcus didn't know where Abby ’s mind had gone but it didn't look like a good place. Concerned, he raised up, one arm circling her waist while he cupped the back of her head, forcing her to look at him. 

Abby blinked numbly as their  gazes met. Her hips stopped moving and for a moment . S he looked lost , like she was somewhere far away. “Please don't run away from me,” Marcus pleaded in a whisper as he drew her forehead against his. 

Abby swallowed hard and blinked back a tear. “I'm sorry,” she breathed out, her hands grabbing his shoulders.

Despite the  ice bath, Abby still felt like something was messing with her brain, something  that forced those cruel images inside her head, giving her terrible  headaches . It was always hard to focus, always hard to think straight and only the pills seemed to give her some relief. 

“Do you want to stop?” Marcus asked her softly before pressing a light kiss on her lips. 

“No,” Abby answered, the word escaping her throat in a rush. “No please,” she added as she pressed herself harder against him, her breasts crushing against his chest as she clung onto him. 

“Then look at me,” he requested in a gentle voice, cupping her jaw. “Stay with me,” he almost begged as their gazes met and she nodded. 

A soft smile tugged at Marcus' lips and he leaned forward to drop a kiss on the tip of her nose. Abby chased his lips but he pulled away  to stare into her eyes again . Without breaking  eye contact, he  bent b ackward s a little, leaning on one of his hands while the other  slid smoothly along Abby's chest to land on her hips. 

Knowing Marcus was giving her some space to move more easily, Abby cupped the back of his head and started to roll her hips again. This time, her rhythm was slow, more languorous. She was losing herself into his gaze as much as he was losing himself in the sight of her.

“You're so beautiful,” he whispered and she gasped, the sound of his voice, low and sensual, giving her as much pleasure as the sweet sensation of his cock sliding inside her. “So beautiful,” he said again, cupping one of her breasts, his thumb playing with her hard nipple. 

The touch made her shudder violently, her hips jerking forward helplessly. “Marcus,” she whimpered, the lower part of her belly suddenly feeling like an erupting volcano. Her eyes closed reflexively because it was too good, too overwhelming.

“Look at me,” Marcus said again as his hand landed on her jaw. “Don't stop looking at me,” he told her, short of breath, his thumb grazing along her bottom lip. 

Abby started to pant, hard. She swung her hips with more amplitude, her clit rubbing against Marcus' pelvis and his cock sinking deeper and deeper inside her with each new thrust. “Fuck,” she swore as waves of bittersweet sensations took her by surprise, her lips closing around Marcus' thumb, suckling at it.

The movement as much as the view made Marcus groan and his hips  rose up reflexively, meeting all of Abby's thrust halfway. “God Abby,” he panted unable to control himself any longer. 

His hand left her face with a hint of reluctance to grab her ass instead, accompanying her movements. They were still staring at each other, taking in every expression of immeasurable pleasure on each other’s face, feeding themselves off it. It was hard for both of them to keep their eyes open now, especially because their bodies were just a mix of thrilling and heady feelings but they held on tight, trying to live into the moment together until the end. 

“That's it,” Marcus encouraged her in a low voice as he felt her inner muscles tense around his cock. 

“I'm—I—” Abby panted, unable to form any words; her fingers digging into the skin of his nape. 

“I know,” he rasped, crashing his mouth against hers just in time to muffle the cry of her orgasm. 

Abby's whole body arched in bliss as she let herself be enveloped by the sensations coursing through her, allowing herself, just for once, to enjoy life again. 

She must have  blacked -out for several seconds because when she finally started to come back to herself, her face was buried into Marcus' neck and her whole body was shivering. 

“I love you,” he murmured, his hands stroking her back softly.

Abby sat still a moment, her whole body still numb under the force of her orgasm. She breathed in and out deeply, trying to catch her breath. Life always seemed much easier when they were like this, just together, tangled naked in each other’s arms. She wished she could throw everything else away, that she could tell everybody to leave them alone, to stop relaying on them, just for once. Obviously, she would never be able to do so because that's not who she is, but during days like this she just wished she could. 

She shifted a little, melting even more in Marcus' embrace , but as she did so, she heard him swallow back a groan and she realized that she had left him a bit hungry for more. 

“Sorry,” she chuckled softly as she pulled back and started moving again on his lap. 

“It's okay,” Marcus reassured her, his hand landing on her hips to stop her. 

Abby kissed his lips. “No, it's not,” she murmured against his mouth. “I'm not done with you yet,” she said teasingly, before trapping his lower lips between her teeth.

Marcus started to chuckle too  but he quickly turned to moaning instead as Abby's hips rose and fell again, her pelvis swaying in the way she knew he loved. “Like this?” she asked seductively, already knowing the answer. 

“Yes,” Marcus rasped as he braced himself on both his hands behind him. 

Abby put her hands on his chest for leverage and increased the speed of her movements,  delightedly watching the pleasure  on Marcus' face. At some point, his head fell back and he closed his eyes. 

“Look at me,” she told him in turn. 

Marcus' eyes flew open. “Fuck,” he swore, his jaw clenched. He wished this moment could last forever but she was making it very difficult. “You feel so good,” he breathed out helplessly , “So-so g—argh !” The last part of his sentence died in his throat as she clenched her inner muscles on purpose. This time, Marcus knew it was almost the end. He started to feel dizzy and the sweet pressure at the base of his cock became more and more oppressive. His hips jerked forward, meeting Abby's intimacy one last time and there he was. A guttural groan escaped the back of his throat leaving him breathless and almost numb. His arms failed him and he fell flat on his back. 

“Gosh,” he breathed out, his heart beating faster than ever inside his chest. 

Abby leaned forward and buried her face into his neck. “I love you,” she whispered before pressing her mouth  against his sweaty skin. 

Marcus wrapped his arms around her and turned his head to drop a kiss on her hair. “I love you. Always,” he said and the tone of his voice sounded like a vow.

They remained tangled in each  other’s arms as long as possible, until the chill air of the ventilation started to make Abby shudder. A bit regretfully, they pulled apart and  took turns cleaning themselves in the bathroom of the medical wing.

Once done, they put on their underwear quietly. Marcus picked up his shirt and paused for a moment. He took a look at Abby who was sat on the mattress slipping on her shirt and  he rubbed his neck nervously. 

“Do you… Do you want me to leave?” he asked her tentatively, suddenly worried that she might still want some more time alone. He didn't want to push or presume anything. 

Abby looked up at him and pressed her lips together for what felt like an eternity to him. “No,” she said eventually, a shy smile tugging at the  corners of her lips. 

Marcus smiled back at her and took a few steps to come sit next to her. He bent his head and dropped a light kiss against her shoulder. “I've missed you,” he whispered before dropping another one under her ear. 

Abby leaned her head against his as she felt a wave of guilt strike her again. “I've missed you too,” she told him softly. “So much,” she breathed out over a lump in her throat.

Marcus pulled away a little and put a finger under her chin, inviting her to look at him. “We're still in this together, right?” he asked and Abby nodded vigorously, filling his heart with ecstatic relief.

“Always,” she declared without any hint of hesitation in her tone. 

“Always,” he echoed in a murmur before capturing her lips in a languorous kiss, which made, even for only a heartbeat, the underworld taste like heaven. 

 


End file.
